"10 Largest Sea Creatures in the World - Larg

There are many large, fascinating animals in the world, but the ocean is home to monstrous creatures on a whole new level!

Many of the different aquatic species dwarf even the most massive animals that you can find on earth, reaching sizes so large that they’re almost impossible to wrap your head around

So just how massive can the largest ocean animals get?

Today we will learn about 10 of the largest sea creatures in the world and rank them by size

Japanese Spider Crab

Genus: Macrocheira

Diet: Mollusks, Algae

Distinctive features: sharp claws

If normal spiders make your skin crawl, then you’d probably be better off avoiding the world’s largest arthropod: the Japanese spider crab!

Especially large specimens can reach up to 42 pounds, and these crabs are often kept for food because they provide so much meat

Japanese spider crabs are large, but they are not immune to all predators – they use their hard exoskeleton and camouflage to keep themselves safe

The American lobster is the only arthropod in the world that has more mass than the Japanese spider crab

Genus: Cyanea

Diet: crustaceans, jellyfish

Distinctive features: thin, wispy arms

The majestic but dangerous Lion’s Mane Medaliz lives mainly in frigid northern waters such as those found in the Arctic Circle and certain parts of the Baltic Sea The bell jellyfish, or top part, alone can be up to eight feet in diameter!

The tentacles are usually well in proportion to his body, but they can grow to be longer than many whales and shoot out very poisonous barbs to incapacitate his prey

When jellyfish float in the Baltic Sea, they cannot breed due to the low salinity of the water

Genus: Regalecus

Diet: Plankton, small fish, and squid

Distinctive features: Long, narrow body

The Giant Oarfish is the longest bony fish in the world and is rarely encountered by humans because it is kept in deep sea water

These long and thin fish are often said to be the most likely source of the ancient claims of sightings of sea serpents and sea monsters

The Giant Oarfish’s dorsal fin stretches along the entire length of its body

Great white shark

Genus: Carcharodon

Diet: fish, squid, seals

Distinctive features: white underbelly

The Great White Shark is the largest predatory shark in the world, and was made famous by the movie JAWS for its aggression

These sharks are quite social, usually traveling and hunting in groups

Interestingly, Great White Sharks avoid fighting each other because they have a great ability to cripple and damage each other: They tend to resolve conflicts with displays of aggression and power instead of fighting directly

The only known predator of the Great White Shark is the occasional Orca, and even threats from Orcas are rare

Online game Giant Manta Ray

Genus: Mobula

Distinctive features: Wide, flat body and fins

The incredible Giant Manta Ray is the largest ray in the world, with a “span” of up to 29 feet

They are technically carnivorous, but their diet is restricted to zooplankton that they filter out of the water while swimming

Gills are located on the underside of their disc-shaped bodies, and they move their fins like flapping wings to move through the temperate waters they inhabit

The name “Manta” actually means blanket or mantle in Spanish, and is meant to refer to the unique body shape of the animals

Genus: Orcinus

Diet: Seals, sharks

Distinctive features: dark black and white markings

Orcas, the largest members of the dolphin family, are also commonly known as “Killer Whales” due to their status as apex predators

Orcas will hunt and eat almost any animal within reach, including other whales

They are also known for being the most widespread mammal on earth other than humans, living in various types of ocean waters all over the world

Orcas live in two types of groups, called pods, of up to 40 members

Whale shark

Genus: Rhincodon

Distinctive features: Width, top lip and mouth

The world’s largest shark is actually a filter feeder, eating only zooplankton and whatever small fish they catch in their mouths while swimming

These majestic animals can live anywhere from 70 to about 130 years and each individual shark has its own unique pattern of brown spots

Whale sharks live mostly alone, but will happily share feeding grounds

Aside from the whale shark, the megamouth shark and the basking shark are the only two other filter-feeding sharks in the world

Sperm whale

Genus: Physeter

Diet: giant squid, sharks

Distinctive features: blunt muzzle

A massive whale, this predator eats everything from golden sharks and squid to rays and octopus

The sperm whale is also known to inspire the “white whale” in the famous Moby Dick story

This whale is the largest toothed whale and the largest toothed predator in the world, and one of only three living species in the sperm whale family

Fin fin

Diet: Plankton

Distinctive features: Long, thin body with a distinct ridge

A noticeable ridge runs on the whale’s back, causing it to be nicknamed the razorback

Another fascinating and unique feature of this whale is that its lower jaw is black on the left and stark white on the right

Unfortunately, the whale is now endangered after being hunted along with many other whale species during the peak of whaling in the 20th century

Blue whale

Size: 330,000 pounds, 82 feet

Genus: Balaenoptera

Diet: Krill

Distinctive features: ridged throat

The blue whale is the largest sea animal in the world

It is actually divided into five different subspecies separately recognized, all of which have been reduced to distressingly low numbers as a result of whaling

The blue whale has special status as the largest mammal that ever lived, and its heart alone weighs about 1,500 pounds!

It shares the subspecies of the Mysticeti whale with the gray and beluga whales

Female blue whales are usually noticeably larger than males